The Worlds First Augmented Reality TV Ad

…Has never happened. Well, not yet (to my knowledge). But why is that? It seems like a pretty nice PR stunt, but not only that, as long as you drive awareness beforehand you can encourage people to download your app in advance as the mechanic for ‘getting involved’. KIA went some of the way with their adverts earlier in the year but they were in the background of the Australian Open. What i want to see is my living room brought to life through my TV/mobile/tablet. Watching Skittles on a flat screen is ok, but what if my living room became filled with multi-coloured sweets dropping from the sky, what if ‘that guy’ from the Old Spice ads came out of the screen and sat next me and seduced me one on one (probably more for the ladies than myself, i mean, he could try, but wrong audience). Advertising, should be treated like art, and as a young Dinos Chapman once responded upon being questioned ‘what is art’, “art should invigorate life”. Advertising should do the same (whilst also being trying to sell you stuff of course).

But why would a brand want to do this?

1. PR stunt, it’s never really been done before, and maybe only worth doing once

2. It would mean the advert was measurable, not just some number pulled out of air as it currently is

3. It integrates directly into an experience after the advert, it doesn’t sit seperately, it isn’t a 1 dimensional approach to marketing.

It’s no wonder the Ad agencies are starting to suffer, they struggle to grasp how new technologies work and how they can integrate into other disciplines and channels. I’ve seen adverts on the underground with QR codes – WOW, great when i don’t have reception!